Ena Fee Alyne
by GrinWithouttheCat
Summary: It had been so long since he had been in that world. That crazy, beautiful, zany, wonderful world. Could it perhaps... Be calling him home? Could Trickster be bringing him back, after all these years? Was he returning, to Kooza?


"My... My kite!"

L'Innocent stared up at the blue and yellow kite with pure joy. It was flying high in the air, but instead of someone using the string to fly it, the long string was tucked under a rock. For any other kite than his own, this would have come as a surprise to the boy, but he knew his kite was no ordinary kite. The boy carefully lifted the small stone and took hand of the long string, gently reeling in his beloved kite. He smiled softly, taking a light hold of the fabric. "Oh, I haven't seen my kite in so long!" he whispered, and indeed, it was true. The boy hadn't seen his kite in several years, and in fact, had believed it had been lost once he returned.

A thoughtful frown crossed over the Innocent's face at the memory of that day. It had been so long since he had thought about that world- that zany, crazy, wonderful world. And still, the memories seemed fresh in his mind, as though he had returned yesterday. A soft smile took the place of the frown. Those memories, of that world, that beautiful world, were ones he knew he would never forget. He ran a hand down the fabric of his kite, thinking about his time in that world. Without hesitation, L'Innocent could say they were the best moments of his life.

'Trickster...' The boy blinked at the thought of the man. He let out a sigh. Trickster had been horrible to him when the boy first arrived, but by the end he had become a mentor to the Innocent. More than that, Trickster had been a friend- a great friend. L'Innocent glanced down at the kite in hand, fronwing. Trickster had alway been vague with his messages, and he was the only other one, besides the King, Clowns and Pickpocket, who knew about the Kooza kite. Could the kite perhaps have been a message from the man to Innocent? The boy's head shot up at the thought. Could Trickster be here? And maybe even take him back to Kooza? He looked around the clearing for any sign of the Trickster, or the bataclan, but sadly, neither were to be seen anywhere. L'Innocent hadn't realized how hopefully he had been that the man would be nearby until his hopes fell. A long sigh sounded, and he began to walk away from the clearing.

"Leaving? Without even saying hello?" A familiar, snarky voice rang. Innocent froze in his tracks and spun around so quickly that he nearly lost he balance and toppled over. The laugh of an old friend sounded from every direction, and the boy looked once more. He gripped his kite to a point that any ordinary kite would snap, but his was no ordinary kite. It had been a gift. And the gift had been returned, so the giver had to be nearby. The boy shut his eyes tightly, becoming evolved in a strong rush of wind. He silently prayed that when his eyes opened, the bataclan would be standing in front of him, that a beautiful hym would fill his ears. He kept his eyes closed, in fear that no such thing would be there, and that the voice was simply one his subconscious had dug up. It wasn't until something hard and metallic touched his shoulders that he opened his eyes.

And nearly screamed out of joy at the sight.

Standing in front of the boy was a familiar tower, with a familiar red cloth closed on the enterance. A strong presence grew next to L'Innocent, and he turned with a grin. Standing next to him, was the Trickster himself, in his red and yellow striped suit, with a signature smirk. He turned the staff in his hand, casting a side glance at they boy. He flicked his hand out to the side, giving the wrists small twirls, and bowed. When he raised himself upright once agin, he looked at the younger boy, and grabbed the edge of his suit, pulling it down slightly as he tended to do. Innocent smiled, nearly crying out of happiness, and hugged the man as tightly as he could.

Trickster blinked and staggered back awkwardly. He wasn't used to such emotion being shown, and certainly didn't know how to return it. He raised an arm and lightly set it on the back of the boy, in a small return for the hug. Innocent chuckled, knowing the man wasn't quite sure on how to return affection. The boy released him and stepped back, still beaming. Trickster cleared his throat nervously and glanced at the boy. "It's been a while..." he muttered, pulling at the cuff of his sleeve.

L'Innocent nodded, biting his lower lip. "Four years," he replied, glancing at the ground. Trickster frowned. Time in Kooza passed differently than it did in Innocent's world. Four years to the boy had hardly seemed like one to Trickster, and even that was too long for the man. He couldn't have imagined waiting four years. He glanced over at the boy. He had shot up since they had last seen each other- L'Innocent was now nearly as tall as the Trickster himself, although not quite. Trickster smirked, taking comfort in that fact. He wouldn't be so intimidating to the boy if he weren't taller. The Innocent's clothing had also changed dramatically, from the old striped pajamas and nightcap he had worn on his first visit to Kooza. Now, he wore a long sleeved, button up shirt, with a button up vest over it, along with a pair of long pants, all striped Kooza's signature blue, orange and white. Around his neck, was an orange bow tie. Trickster couldn't help but chuckle, looking over the boy's clothes.

"You stole my fashion sense," Trickster said, shaking his head slightly. Innocent frowned, pulling at the side of his vest. The boy couldn't exactly deny it- his attire had been inspired by his time in Kooza. Trickster circled around the boy, scanning his attire. He chuckled and stopped in front of the Innocent. "Excluding the bow tie..." he said, raising a hand to his chin and looking at the neck wear with a frown "Where did you get such a ridiculous idea? Certainly not me," Trickster smirked, flicking his raised hand and lowering it to his side once more. L'Innocent frowned and straightened his back. His raised his chin up dignifiedly and pulled at the bow tie, looking offended. Trickster chuckled again.

"I see nothing wrong with my choice of neck wear," Innocent mumbled. He looked the Trickster dead in the eye "So what if I was inspired by Kooza? How could I not?" he asked with a frown. Trickster simply smirked, twirling his staff.

The older man lifted one foot off the ground and spun in the opposite direction, striding a few feet away. He looked back to the boy and smirked, twirling the staff. "Coming?" He asked, a light tone in his voice. L'Innocent blinked and gave a small smile, following behind the man. Trickster turned back and began walking again, hardly waiting for the younger boy to catch up.

Innocent fell into stride beside the Trickster, glancing over at the man beside him. He gave a small smirk, flicking his gaze towards the boy. Innocent frowned. It was always impossible to guess what the man was thinking. But that's what makes him a Trickster, the boy thought with a small sigh. He glanced around the familiar world around him. Not a thing had changed. The bataclan still stood high, with it's unbreathable curtain and spiraling stairs leading to the musicians. Small sets for the performers were scattered everywhere. The boy glanced at each one, seeing if there were any he recognized from the performances he saw. He could only name the tightrope, which seemed taller and wider than he remembered, and the trapeze. He looked at the trapeze with a frown. It was impossible to tell how the bar was being held up, as the ropes supporting it seemed to disappear once they hit the sky. With a shrug, he looked at some of the other performance equipment. The Juggler's bag, the hoop manipulators hoops, and some other sets he hadn't seen before. A large hoop hanging in a similar manor to the trapeze, and two long pillars of fabric. L'Innocent blinked, wondering what was performered on the new additions, and who were the ones who performed.

L'Innocent glanced back up at the Trickster. The older man seemed dead set on wherever they were going, hardly noticing the boy next to him. Innocent frowned. Where was Trickster leading him? The man stared off into the distance, a small smirk spreading across his lips. The boy blinked and glanced in the direction the man was. His brow furrowed. In the distance, four figures were visible. One form was taller than the rest of them, and flung his limbs in an awkward way, sporadic and almost unnatural. Another was almost as tall as the first, but not quite. He walked in a small circle in front of the taller figure, stretching his legs out in front of him as he did so, not bending his knees. The two tall figures seemed to be bickering about something. Two smaller figures stood behind the tallest one. One was small, but slender. His back hunched over, and he seemed to try and get in-between the argument between the taller two. The other figure was taller than the slender form, but still not very tall. He was more round, and seemed content behind the tallest, pointing at the odd-walking figure. As Trickster and Innocent approached the forms, L'Innocent could begin to make out some colors. He squinted, looking at the shapes and trying to name them. Trickster smirked and looked down at the smaller boy ,"Some old friends," he said, glancing back up. Innocent frowned. The man always seemed to know what he was thinking, but he term still didn't clear anything up. Anyone in Kooza could be considered an 'old friend'.

As the continued forward, the figures became more distinct, and Innocent couldn't help but grin. He could make out the shaggy form of the King of Fools, Pickpocket, and the two clowns behind the king. Old friends indeed. The boy waved his hand around, attempting to get the groups attention. It was Pickpocket who first noticed the boy, holding one hand to the king to silence him, and one over his brow to see better. The thief grinned once he saw the Innocent, waving one hand around. The king was next, looking in the direction Pickpocket waved, then flailing his arms about with a loud hoot. Innocent chuckled. The king certainly earned his title. The larger clown was after the king, looking back at his smaller friend and laughing. The smaller clown still didn't notice, so the larger one hit him. The smaller one coughed, then looked ahead and jumped, landing one foot at a time. He waved his hand quickly in the air. Innocent grinned and ran towards to group.

"Ah, so the little boy finally decides to return?" The Pickpocket asked with a chuckle, looking the boy up and down. "Well, you're not so little anymore!" He said, opening his arms and gesturing to L'Innocent for emphasis. He nodded, chuckling himself. The thief raised one hand to his chin and crossed the other over his chest "Aaah- let's see- you were, um, twelve, when you first came to Kooza, right, my friend?" He asked. Innocent nodded. Pickpocket hummed lightly, rolling his eyes as he thought "You look... Hmm- about, fifteen, I'd say?" he asked.

L'Innocent chuckled once more, shaking his head slightly "Sixteen. But you were close," he said with a smile. The Pickpocket sighed, chuckling. The King blinked, frowning. He glanced at Pickpocket, then back at the boy. His words seemed caught as he tried to speak.

"Ah- huh? So- you mean-" he began, stuttering as he spoke. "This fine fellow here- is the same tiny, spineless, little ragamuffin that the Trickster brought in?" He asked, pointing at the boy, then twirling his hands and looking at the sky with a shrug, then back down to the Innocent. The boy nodded with a chuckle, bowing slightly at the self proclaimed king.

The clowns made a gasping sound and pointed at L'Innocent, at each other, and at the boy once more. Their mouths hung open, as if the couldn't believe it. Simaltainiously, they let out a squeal, and ran to the boy, embracing him in a tight hug. The Innocent coughed, laughing nervously as the two hugged him to a point it became difficult to breath. It wasn't until a certain king smacked the two clowns with a hunk of steak did they release him, and only as they fell to the floor. Innocent frowned and looked at the two clowns, who began to climb to their feet. The smaller one huffed and whined as he did so.

Innocent smiled and glanced behind him. The Trickster was standing a ways behind the group, simply watching. The boy frowned slightly. He knew the man didn't like interacting with characters such as these- ones he couldn't control. But he thought since Trickster had gone through all the trouble of arranging this meeting, the man would at least want to take part in it. L'Innocent made a small gesture with his hands, trying to bring the Trickster over to the group, but the man simply smirked and gave a small nod. The boy gave a small smile and turned back towards his friends. The four of them were all standing in one row. Pickpocket's arms were crossed, and one foot was flexed and extended forward. The king stood up tall, fiddling with his fingers in front of him. The larger clown swayed slightly from side to side, and the smaller one raised himself up and down from his tip toes. Pickpocket tilted his head slightly to the side, glancing at the Trickster. The man gave a small smile and looked back at L'Innocent. Innocent frowned and looked at the ground, intertwining his fingers. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, but didn't look up. It was obvious to the boy who it was. He let out a soft sigh and leaned forward slightly. "Hey- it's okay. We've known for a while Trickster doesn't particular enjoy being around us," Pickpocket began. Innocent nodded slowly, not looking up. The thief, king, and clowns weren't like normal Koozians. Pickpocket and the King of Fools had both been humans that had wandered into Kooza. Trickster kept them because they had been amusing, and even gave the king two of his own chivari. "He can't control us like he can with the other performers- and you know what, my friend?" Innocent blinked and looked up. He knew Trickster couldn't control the group. They were like chaos that ran through his world- enjoyment from affar, annoyance when too close. The Pickpocket chuckled "We really don't mind. He let's us stay here, and thats good enough," The King nodded in agreement.

"But you- you're different to Trickster," Pickpocket continued. Innocent blinked and took a deep breath, listening to the man. "He may not be able to control you, but your special to him. His little underling," The boy smiled lightly, causing Pickpocket to chuckle "Yeah, see! And he's your mentor. That's how you look to him, isn't it?" L'Innocent nodded. A mentor- that was right. Despite how horrible Trickster had been when the boy had first met him, the man was someone he looked up to now. The Pickpocket leaned backwards, resting his weight on his back foot. "You just returned to Kooza, correct?" The boy nodded. Pickpocket chuckled and opened his arms, in the direction of the Trickster, who was still a ways behind the Innocent. "Then go!" he yelled with a chuckle. L'Innocent blinked in surprise. "Catch up, see what's new in this little world!"

The Innocent smiled softly up at the man. "Really?" he asked quietly. He glanced back at Trickster. The man was observing the group, and flicked his wrist to the side when the boy looked back. His head lowered on slightly, as his azure eyes flicked with curiosity. Innocent tilted his head slightly. So the man didn't know what was being said? He turned back to Pickpocket.

The man let out a chuckle and nodded quickly "Of course!" He practically yelled "We'll still be here when you come back," he said, glancing back at the king and his two clowns. The three nodded quickly, the King of Fools almost falling over he nodded so rapidly. The younger boy chuckled, and pickpocket gave him a light shove. "Go, go on!" he cheered "Just come back before you leave again!" Innocent chuckled and nodded, before turning and jogging to the Trickster.

The older man blinked in confusion when he saw the boy approaching. He twirled his scepter in one hand and turned to the Innocent "Did you not wish to see them...?" He asked, tapping the staff lightly in his hand.

Innocent shook his head "N-no! Not at all, I mean I was really happy to see them..." he sighed and glanced back at the group. They had gone back to arguing, presumably about Pickpocket stealing something, and denying it. Innocent chuckled lightly and turned back to Trickster "Well, I was just thinking... I've been gone so long, so- things must have changed around here, right?" He asked with a nervous laugh. This was harder to explain than the boy thought.

Trickster looked down at the boy for a moment, before lightly closing his eyes and chuckling. He tapped the younger boy on the head with his staff, and the Innocent jumped lightly, rubbing his head. He huffed and looked up at the older man, who simply smirked. "You missed me, didn't you?" Innocent frowned and nodded slowly, a bit embarrassed. Trickster chuckled "I see," he said, circling around the boy. He stopped in front, slowly holding out his staff to the boy. "What if I taught you how to channel powers properly- using this?" He asked, smirking. Innocent's eyes grew wide. He reached out for the staff, but Trickster pulled back at the last second, holding the metallic scepter high above his head with a chuckle. "But, you have to catch it first,"

Innocent frowned and looked up at the scepter. He thought about all those times when he chased the Trickster for it, and finally obtaining it. Finally using it. Then everything went wrong. Innocent shuddered at the memories. The skeletons, the demons, the Crooner... All those evil beings, all in Kooza because of what he did. The boy took a deep breath. "Will you reallynteach me how to use it this time? So I don't... Mess up, again?" He asked quietly. Trickster frowned slightly and nodded, looking down at the boy. Innocent smiled lightly. Trickster was different now. He wouldn't just leave him to bring hell in once more. Because Trickster had changed. He cared for Innocent now. Innocent chuckled and looked up at the scepter. "Are you actually going to make me chase you for it again?"

Trickster let out a loud, booming laugh. He lowered the staff and looked down at the Innocent with a smirk. "Yes!" He called, and took off running with the scepter in hand.

* * *

** Author's Note: **Aha- this actually started after I finished a test? I was doing to Kooza doodles and started writing. Smallest font possible for me- and it still took up the entire page.

/laughs because of how obvious it is where I got writers block


End file.
